A report into a fatal Christmas Eve plane crash in the Upper Hunter has found the pilot failed to get the relevant weather forecasts before take-off.
Scott Kennedy-Green was at the controls of the four-seater Cessna which ploughed into a steep ravine in the Coolah Tops National Park in 2008.
The crash killed his brother-in-law, Matthew Green, who was living in Byron Bay.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau has found Mr Kennedy-Green encountered heavy cloud and turned back about 15 minutes into the flight, but lost visibility and crashed.
It says an earlier decision to turn around, might have averted the tragedy.
